John Dawson

Florrie was born on 1 February 1884 in Kildwick, West Yorkshire. Her parents are John Dawson and Elizabeth Bradley. Our common ancestors are John Dawson and Ellen Gawthrop – my 2x great grandparents.

Florrie and Throup married sometime in the March quarter of 1908 in Keighley, West Yorkshire.

Regrettably Throup made at least three appearances in the Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer. Once in 1924 and twice (for the same incident) in 1933 (images from http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk).

9 April 1924

For theft of a wallet and money from a house at Steeton, Throup Shuttleworth (39), labourer, was sentenced to a month’s hard labour.

29 May 1933

WOMAN KILLED

Side-car Smashed in Silsden Road Crash

Mrs. Marion Simpson (27), a weaver, of North Street, Silsden was killed in a collision on the Steeton-Silsden Road last night between a motor-cycle combination in which she was riding and a motor car.The cycle combination was being driven towards Steeton by Leonard Owens (33), motor mechanic, of Langbar, Ilkley. Mrs. Simpson was in the sidecar, and her husband, Harold Simpson (33), a weaver, was on the pillion seat. On the Steeton side of the bridge over the River Aire, the combination came into collision with a small saloon car driven towards Silsden by Throup Shuttleworth, of High Street, Steeton, who was the only occupant.The sidecar was smashed, and Mrs. Simpson received extensive injuries, dying almost immediately.

17 June 1933

Following a collision with a motor-cycle combination near the River Aire Bridge at Steeton, in which a young Silsden woman was killed, Throup Shuttleworth, motor engineer, of High Street, Steeton, was fined £5 at Keighley yesterday for driving a motor-car without due care. He was also fined 10s. for not having a driving licence. Defendant said the collision was an unavoidable accident.

You might just want to reflect on the different sentences for the two offences.

Jeffrey Jacques is my 5th cousin. His parents are Allan Jacques and Mary Elizabeth Williamson. Our common ancestors are John Dawson and Ann Watson – my 4x great grandparents.

Jeffrey was born in 1937 – his birth is registered at Skipton, Yorkshire in the third quarter. Sadly Jeffrey died with “tragic suddenness” on 7 December 1950 at the age of 13. The Barnoldswick & Earby Times reported his death on 15 December 1950 (image from http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk).

Master Jeffrey Jacques

The death occurred with tragic suddenness on Thursday evening week, of Master Jeffrey Jacques, aged 13 years, younger son of Mr. and Mrs. Alan Jacques, of Cragside Farm, Cowling. The death took place at the Keighley Victoria Hospital, where Jeffrey had been admitted earlier in the day in a grave condition. Widespread sympathy has been felt and expressed with Mr. and Mrs. Jacques, and their elder son, Brian, in their sad bereavement. Jeffrey was a likeable lad, very cheerful, and of a sunny disposition. Very fond of outdoor life, he was happiest when out and about on the farm with his father. He was a scholar at the Keighley Boys Grammar School and at the Cowling Methodist Sunday School. At the funeral, which took place on Monday, a contingent of Jeffrey’s form-mates, with their Form Master, and accompanied by the Headmaster of the Keighley Boys Grammar School, Mr. Hind, were present at the Cowling Methodist Church. Services at the house and at the Cowling Methodist Church were conducted by the Rev. Joffre R. Smith, and among the many floral tributes was one from the Keighley Boys Grammar School, and one from the Cowling Methodist Sunday School. A memorial service will be held on Sunday morning at the Cowling Methodist Church.

On Tuesday afternoon the Rev. F Etherton Blake conducted the funeral service of the late Mrs Dawson, 39 Clarendon Road, in the Parliament Street Church, W.E. The Dawson family, some ten years ago, came from their Yorkshire home at Eastburn to Morecambe. They have life-long associations with Primitive Methodism, and to that extent the Church suffers the loss of a valuable devotee. Since Christmas Mrs Dawson has suffered acutely, and ever since been under the shadow of death. On February 17th she passed away at the age of 67 years and leaves a sorrowing husband, bereft son and two mourning daughters.

Richard was born on 4 March 1885 in Waddington, Lancashire to parents Henry Taylor and Mary Altham. My cousin Mary Alice was born on 6 February 1888 in Barrowford, Lancashire to parents Joseph Dawson and Alice Hartley. Or common ancestors are my 4x great grandparents John Dawson and Ann Watson.

Richard and Mary married on 30 December 1909 at St. Thomas’, Barrowford. They had two children – Dennis born in 1910 and Kenneth born on 8 November 1917 (they are my 4th cousins 1x removed)

In World War 1 Richard served in the 2nd/5th Battalion of the East Lancashire Regiment. His service number was 241099 and he reached the rank of Sergeant.

During 1918 the 2nd/5th Battalion took part in The Battle of St. Quentin, The Actions at the Somme Crossings and The Battle of Rosieres.

According to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission website Richard died of wounds on 12 April 1918 at the age of 33.

Richard is buried at St. Sever Cemetery Extension, Rouen, France. His headstone number is 3394 with the following inscription:-

WE LOVED HIM, OH WE LOVED HIM

BUT THE ANGELS LOVED HIM MORE

ONE OF THE BEST

Richard was awarded the Military Medal – see the extract from The London Gazette of 23 May 1918 below. The Military Medal (or MM) was a medal awarded for exceptional bravery. It was awarded to the Other Ranks (N.C.O.’s and Men) and was first instituted on 25 March 1916 during The First World War, to recognise bravery in battle.

St. Sever Cemetery Extension (taken from CWGC website)

During the First World War, Commonwealth camps and hospitals were stationed on the southern outskirts of Rouen. A base supply depot and the 3rd Echelon of General Headquarters were also established in the city. Almost all of the hospitals at Rouen remained there for practically the whole of the war. They included eight general, five stationary, one British Red Cross and one labour hospital, and No. 2 Convalescent Depot. A number of the dead from these hospitals were buried in other cemeteries, but the great majority were taken to the city cemetery of St. Sever. In September 1916, it was found necessary to begin an extension, where the last burial took place in April 1920. During the Second World War, Rouen was again a hospital centre and the extension was used once more for the burial of Commonwealth servicemen, many of whom died as prisoners of war during the German occupation. The cemetery extension contains 8,348 Commonwealth burials of the First World War (ten of them unidentified) and in Block “S” there are 328 from the Second World War (18 of them unidentified). There are also 8 Foreign National burials here. The extension was designed by Sir Reginald Blomfield.

On 23 April 1925 Mary Alice, Dennis and Kenneth emigrated to New Zealand. They sailed from Southampton heading for Wellington aboard SS Rotorua. I hope that they had a happy life in New Zealand.

A final note about the SS Rotorua – it seems that the ship was sunk on 11 December 1940 while sailing as part of Convoy HX92. She was struck by a torpedo from U-boat number U-96 about 110 miles northwest of St. Kilda, Outer Hebrides.

Those of you who read my blog regularly may recall that U-96 was also responsible for the sinking the Arthur F Corwin on 13 February 1941 – see post here.

The boat’s final operational patrol commenced with her departure from St. Nazaire on 26 December 1942. Crossing the Atlantic for the last time, she then came back to the eastern side and after transferring a sick crew-member to U-163 on 3 January 1943, arrived at Königsberg (now Kaliningrad) on 8 February.

She spent most of the rest of the war as a training vessel. She was decommissioned on 15 February 1945 in Wilhelmshaven. When US Eighth Air Force attacked Wilhelmshaven on 30 March 1945, U-96 was sunk in Hipper basin. The remains of the U-boat were broken up after the war

Timothy Eglin is my 3rd cousin 2x removed. His parents are Thomas William Eglin and Margaret Ann Bancroft. Our common ancestors are John Dawson and Ann Watson, my 4x great grandparents.

Timothy was the fifth of ten children and his birth is registered in the first quarter of 1902. In the 1911 census the family are living at Habergham Eaves near Burnley, Lancashire.

On Christmas Eve 1913 the family were rocked by a tragic accident which ended the all too short life of Timothy. Details of the inquest are reported in the Burnley News of 27 December 1913.

BOY’S FATAL FALL – The story of how Timothy Eglin, an eleven-year-old boy met an untimely end at Cliviger, was told at an inquest conducted by the Acting Coroner, Mr D N Haslewood, on Friday morning, at Habergham Farm, Habergham Eaves, Cliviger. Thomas William Eglin, the father, gave evidence of identification, and Mary Eglin, deceased’s four-year-old sister, said her brother had been swinging in the washhouse on Wednesday afternoon, on a rope, which was fastened at one end to the ceiling, and at the other end to the wringing machine. Whilst he was swinging, the machine fell over on her brother’s head. Alice Eglin, an older sister, told of hearing a noise coming from the direction of the washhouse, at 3 o’clock on Wednesday afternoon, and on going there she found the deceased with the top part of the machine resting on his head on the floor. With the assistance of Albert Halstead, she lifted her brother up, and Halstead carried him home. Dr. Hodgson, of Burnley, was sent for, and on arrival he found the boy dead, with the back of his head crushed in, and a cut on his forehead. A verdict of “Accidental death” was returned.

Thomas and Margaret had already experienced the loss of another child when their first born, Robert Watson, died in infancy, less than three months old in 1895.

Four months have passed since the troubles reported in the Burnley Express on 18 August 1886. But it seems as though things came to a head again before the end of August. See part one here.

Part two of the feud between the Quinn’s and the Dawson’s in Barrowford, Lancashire, was reported in the Burnley Express of 18 December 1886

COLNE COUNTY COURT

Monday – Before his honour Judge Gates QC

A QUARREL BETWEEN NEIGHBOURS. Charlotte Quinn, weaver, of the Park, Barrowford, sued John Dawson, Barrowford, for £12, damages for an assault committed upon her by defendant’s wife Sarah Dawson. Mr Robinson, Keighley, appeared for the plaintiff, and Mr J Sutcliffe represented the defendants. Mr Robinson stated that upon the 31 August John Dawson was in the house of the mother of the plaintiff. Mrs Dawson appeared to object to him staying there, and she went to fetch him out. He went out and some disturbance took place in the street between Mrs Dawson and one of the plaintiff’s sisters. Plaintiff heard a noise and she went out of the house to ascertain the cause, but she took no part in the bother. She had been standing on the door steps a minute when Mrs Dawson rushed into the house and brought out a large four-legged wooden stool, which she threw and hit her a violent blow upon the side of her face. She was rendered insensible by the injuries, in consequence of which she had been very ill for over a fortnight. The damages were for loss of work, doctors’ bills etc. Mr Sutcliffe stated that the row arose in consequence of the Quinns harbouring Mrs Dawson’s husband. He admitted that Mrs Dawson had thrown the stool, but it did not strike the plaintiff who stumbled and fell over a parapet. His honour said the only question to decide was whether the stool thrown by the defendant struck the plaintiff or not, and upon that he did not think there could be any doubt. He would therefore give a verdict for £5 5s.

John Dawson is my 1st cousin 4x removed. His parents are John Dawson and Elizabeth Benson. Our common ancestors are John Dawson and Ann Watson, my 4x great grandparents.

John married Sarah Hopkinson sometime in the Summer of 1857 – the marriage was registered in Q3 at Skipton, Yorkshire.

I posted last week about John being injured working as an “engine tenter” in February 1886 and whet your appetite for more posts.

Some six months later in the Summer of 1886 it seems as though there was a bit of marital and neighbour disharmony as reported in the Burnley Express of 11 August 1886.

Sarah Quinn, of Barrowford, was summoned for assaulting Sarah Dawson, wife of John Dawson, of Barrowford. There was a cross summons charging Dawson with assaulting Quinn. Mr Robinson appeared for Quinn, and Mr M Stuttard represented Dawson. Mrs Dawson stated that on the 31st ult. she saw her husband coming up the street in drink. He went to Quinn’s house, and she followed, and asked him to go home, but he refused. Mrs Quinn, sen., and her daughters followed her home, and defendant hit her on the eye, and pushed the door in her face. By Mr Robinson: She did not strike her husband. She did not call Sarah Quinn a foul name, nor slap her face. She threw a stool in self defence at the family, but it did not strike either of them. Elizabeth Smith spoke to seeing the Quinn family surrounding Mrs Dawson’s house, and saw Sarah Quinn strike Mrs Dawson on the face. She did not see the stool strike any of the girls. Both cases were dismissed.

Perhaps a satisfactory end to a domestic dispute you might be forgiven for thinking. However this is not the last you will hear about “the stool”. Part two of the saga continues next week.